One of the more surprising observations when I arrived from Singapore was the sheer number of Japanese vehicles on Thai roads. That triggered a first-cut survey of which brands have gained consumers’ favour in recent years. It came as no surprise that locally assembled cars (often from Japanese brands) were more appealing due to a cheaper starting price tag, but what if we shift our focus a couple of ranks up - cars that cost at least 3 to 4 times more? BMW and Mercedes-Benz springs to mind. They do have factories in Thailand, but more research is required on my part to understand exactly which components are made here, and which are ready-made from overseas that will understandably drive prices up due to the 300% import tax.
Let’s focus on BMW’s state of play in Thailand. Rather than hunting through facts and figures, I would like to share 3 visual observations that were initially quite surprising to me, but made more sense as the years progressed..
Plug-in hybrid BMWs are gaining popularity, fast
I would like to think that a local driver’s typical morning commute would include a takeaway coffee at the petrol station (Amazon Coffee at PTT station no less), which means topping up fuel if required would be a straightforward affair too. But the sheer number of plug-in hybrid BMWs here made me realise that there is also a desire for keen drivers here to learn, and jump on the electrification bandwagon. 330e and 530e are pretty common sights not only in town but in less centrally-located neighbourhoods. Makes sense if we dig deeper as houses in outer Bangkok have sizable garages, allowing owners to juice up overnight for a good 60km of pure electric range. Other variants of the 3 and 5 Series include a diesel option - we reckon they will be workhorses, but they do not smell pleasant sitting in stagnant traffic!
7 Series is not as dominant as we might expect
One of the perennial favourites. Able to satisfy both chauffeur and business owner as it supplies good driving dynamics while offering bags of tech and space. We would like to think that there will be many found in the CBD, but not quite, as there are considerably more Toyota Alphards and Lexus LMs with their trademark rear passenger sliding doors. There is serious interest in van-like haulers, which makes sense as they can be configured to mimic a Business Class seat, with no compromise to headroom. As the Toyota Alphard and Lexus LM300h are pure JDM, they are not cheap too, placing them in more direct competition with luxury sedans from Germany. If I’d pick a side, a top-spec Toyota Alphard with blacked-out tints makes plenty of sense, and the juxtaposition alongside brightly lit shopping malls makes it almost appear mafia-like.
M cars are few and far between
Unlike in Singapore where I grew up, it is rare to identify a BMW M car even in Bangkok’s most luxurious malls or in business districts during peak hour traffic. I am sure there is a sizable M community in Thailand, but most of them are not clocking mileage in town at least. Porsches are much more common, and I’d dare say even classic Alpinas and top-spec early-gen BMW wagons (our Touring in BMW speak) could even be more “visible”. Why so? It could be the price structure that brought M cars close to Porsche territory. We’d like to speculate that there will be a couple of pristine E39 M5s, or a low mileage E46 M3 CSL somewhere along the wealthy stretch of Thong Lo. They could be timing them for road trips up North once the pandemic subsides - we’re keeping our eyes peeled!
Drive safe, krub!
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